Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s nominee for president, declared that if chosen to lead Nigeria in the next presidential election, he will be dedicated to the development of the nation.
He also promised to manage public monies wisely while in power and to never steal from the government.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC’s presidential candidate, had already characterized Obi as a stingy guy who could not be trusted with the nation’s destiny. But Obi asserted that a miser like him would be safer for the nation.
Speaking in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Saturday during his campaign rally, Obi said he would be able to invest in education, health, economy and other sectors to develop the country.
He said “Yes they said l am stingy, but we are not out to steal the nation’s wealth. All we want to do is to use the nation’s money for our people and development of this country
“They said that I’m stingy; we want stingy people now, so that we can keep the money. We want to make sure we use your money to transform the country.
“This election that is coming now, don’t vote for anybody because of tribe but vote for someone that will move the country forward.
“We don’t want anybody to say that it is my turn; we want to change Nigeria for better. Our children will be in school, we don’t want people to run out of Nigeria again. We want to structure Nigeria for development. So, go and pick your PVCs and vote for Labour Party and make sure that they count the vote.
Speaking during the rally, Mr. Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the LP, bemoaned that the country was at a crossroads and that all sectors were not operating. He added that the LP was prepared to make Nigeria operational once again.
The Anambra State branch of the All Progressives Congress has criticized Obi for calling his nation and candidate “sick.”
The party said that Obi’s assessment of Nigeria as a “ill” nation only demonstrated the antithesis of patriotism for a nation he wished to rule, and that seeking the top job in the land necessitates shown consistency in leadership qualities, not opportunism.
Without disagreeing with his ancestors, the APC claimed that Obi should not celebrate anyone’s sickness, much less someone he competed against for the presidency.
State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Okelo Madukaife, who said this in a statement on Saturday, said, “The description of Nigeria as a sick country by Peter Obi, a candidate who wants to be president is the opposite of patriotism.
“However, we are happy that the country, which Obi described four years ago as a ‘vehicle without an engine’ consistent with the talking-down trend, has found an engine and now requires only maintenance arrow-headed by a good engine doctor.
“Looking beyond Peter Obi, who did less in his first and last public office as governor of Anambra State than he claims, we are glad that the presidential race has Senator Bola Tinubu, who was a good engine doctor for a Senate that dealt with a dictator, reluctant to quit power, which tripled his legislative experience.
“We are proud that Tinubu accepted the challenge of a post-June 12, 1993 annulment of presidential elections by those using Obi to return to power and fought through to the return of democracy as history did not record Obi as doing so in any other circumstance.”
However, the LP National Vice Chairman, South-East, Chief Innocent Okere, said Obi’s statement that the country was sick was not misplaced.
Okere also disclosed that Obi had a grasp of tackling the problems ailing the country, saying the LP presidential candidate would not be engaging in any blame game when if elected the president.
He stressed that the APC was “playing to the gallery,” and seeking ways to make a “political statement” from what Obi has said in Anambra.
Okere added, “It is not a misplaced statement, Nigeria is sick, Nigeria is on oxygen, Nigeria needs help. For someone who wants to heal Nigeria, he will not be a sick person. You need a sound and strong doctor to heal a sick patient, not a doctor seeking attention over his ailment that will now be coming to treat someone who needs critical help.”
